This chapter focuses on new technology and its impact on acting as an occupation. It begins by describing how the advent of film transformed patterns of employment in the commercial entertainment ...
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This chapter focuses on new technology and its impact on acting as an occupation. It begins by describing how the advent of film transformed patterns of employment in the commercial entertainment industry. Returning to the theme of cultural hierarchy, it goes on to argue that even as the legitimate theater drifted toward the periphery of the nation's cultural life, the old theatrical elite continued to claim the right, through the mechanism of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), to speak for the entire acting community. After examining working conditions in the motion picture studios, it turns its attention to the Equity campaign to organize the film industry, asserting that its architects were less concerned with negotiating a standard contract than with imposing their authority upon the men and women of the silver screen. The chapter argues that an overwhelming majority of motion picture actors reacted with hostility to what they saw as the AEA's attempt to “Broadwayize” Hollywood, interpreting it as a threat to their collective autonomy and a denial of the specificity of their work. By refusing to obey the strike call in the summer of 1929, they were declaring their independence from the traditions of the legitimate stage.Less

Ain’t No Peace in the Family Now : The Actors’ Equity Association and the Movies, 1919–1929

Sean P. Holmes

Published in print: 2013-04-01

This chapter focuses on new technology and its impact on acting as an occupation. It begins by describing how the advent of film transformed patterns of employment in the commercial entertainment industry. Returning to the theme of cultural hierarchy, it goes on to argue that even as the legitimate theater drifted toward the periphery of the nation's cultural life, the old theatrical elite continued to claim the right, through the mechanism of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), to speak for the entire acting community. After examining working conditions in the motion picture studios, it turns its attention to the Equity campaign to organize the film industry, asserting that its architects were less concerned with negotiating a standard contract than with imposing their authority upon the men and women of the silver screen. The chapter argues that an overwhelming majority of motion picture actors reacted with hostility to what they saw as the AEA's attempt to “Broadwayize” Hollywood, interpreting it as a threat to their collective autonomy and a denial of the specificity of their work. By refusing to obey the strike call in the summer of 1929, they were declaring their independence from the traditions of the legitimate stage.

As it was advising President Eisenhower and the Republican Party, BBDO was grooming Ronald Reagan as a corporate spokesman and the host of an anthology drama series on CBS, General Electric Theater. ...
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As it was advising President Eisenhower and the Republican Party, BBDO was grooming Ronald Reagan as a corporate spokesman and the host of an anthology drama series on CBS, General Electric Theater. Experts in the practice of institutional advertising and committed to reducing the risks of its corporate clients, the agency had become such a fierce defender of the television and radio blacklists that it earned the nickname “The Little Court House on Madison Avenue.” As the president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan had appeared as a friendly witness before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. With his strong connections to Robert Montgomery and reputation as a solid anti-Communist, Reagan had the political credentials to satisfy BBDO as someone who could promote GE’s interests as being vital to American progress and democracy. Reagan’s transition from liberal actor to conservative politician has long been part of American mythology. Aided by internal publicity plans and account reports, this chapter tells the story of Reagan’s rise from the perspective of advertising and celebrity.Less

The Biggest Fan in the World

David Haven Blake

Published in print: 2016-01-09

As it was advising President Eisenhower and the Republican Party, BBDO was grooming Ronald Reagan as a corporate spokesman and the host of an anthology drama series on CBS, General Electric Theater. Experts in the practice of institutional advertising and committed to reducing the risks of its corporate clients, the agency had become such a fierce defender of the television and radio blacklists that it earned the nickname “The Little Court House on Madison Avenue.” As the president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan had appeared as a friendly witness before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. With his strong connections to Robert Montgomery and reputation as a solid anti-Communist, Reagan had the political credentials to satisfy BBDO as someone who could promote GE’s interests as being vital to American progress and democracy. Reagan’s transition from liberal actor to conservative politician has long been part of American mythology. Aided by internal publicity plans and account reports, this chapter tells the story of Reagan’s rise from the perspective of advertising and celebrity.

Movies projected women’s “proper place”: they did not come to anyone’s rescue; they were wives and mothers. Stuntwomen’s work decreased. Labor unions and guilds were formed—the Screen Actors Guild, ...
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Movies projected women’s “proper place”: they did not come to anyone’s rescue; they were wives and mothers. Stuntwomen’s work decreased. Labor unions and guilds were formed—the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild. White men managed the studios and the guilds, controlled the work, ran the stunts, doubled for women, and, in blackface, doubled for minority actors. To enhance their stars’ profiles, studios demanded secrecy regarding stunt players who doubled them in action scenes. The Motion Picture Production Code delivered “morals” to movies. A few stuntwomen, such as Helen Thurston, succeeded in action roles (Destry Rides Again, 1939).Less

Blackface and Wigs : Men Take over Stunts

Mollie Gregory

Published in print: 2015-10-19

Movies projected women’s “proper place”: they did not come to anyone’s rescue; they were wives and mothers. Stuntwomen’s work decreased. Labor unions and guilds were formed—the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild. White men managed the studios and the guilds, controlled the work, ran the stunts, doubled for women, and, in blackface, doubled for minority actors. To enhance their stars’ profiles, studios demanded secrecy regarding stunt players who doubled them in action scenes. The Motion Picture Production Code delivered “morals” to movies. A few stuntwomen, such as Helen Thurston, succeeded in action roles (Destry Rides Again, 1939).

This chapter looks at the variety of causes Irwin was involved in, from animal rights to suffragism to pacifism. The chapter reviews the anti-trust movement led by Theodore Roosevelt and blossoming ...
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This chapter looks at the variety of causes Irwin was involved in, from animal rights to suffragism to pacifism. The chapter reviews the anti-trust movement led by Theodore Roosevelt and blossoming during Woodrow Wilson’s push for progressivism. Irwin’s immunity to anti-immigrant sentiment because of her Scottish roots is discussed. Her reason for opposition to the new Actors Equity Association is covered. As the calls for suffragism grow, Irwin lends her voice to the cause, as do other actress suffragists, including Mary Shaw and Lillian Russell. She urges Woodrow Wilson to appoint her as “Secretary of Laughter.” Through it all, she stresses the strong connection between women and humor and her belief that women have a greater sense of humor than men do.Less

Causes and Compromise

Sharon Ammen

Published in print: 2016-12-15

This chapter looks at the variety of causes Irwin was involved in, from animal rights to suffragism to pacifism. The chapter reviews the anti-trust movement led by Theodore Roosevelt and blossoming during Woodrow Wilson’s push for progressivism. Irwin’s immunity to anti-immigrant sentiment because of her Scottish roots is discussed. Her reason for opposition to the new Actors Equity Association is covered. As the calls for suffragism grow, Irwin lends her voice to the cause, as do other actress suffragists, including Mary Shaw and Lillian Russell. She urges Woodrow Wilson to appoint her as “Secretary of Laughter.” Through it all, she stresses the strong connection between women and humor and her belief that women have a greater sense of humor than men do.

The conclusion argues, against critics who have found Guédiguian to be a sentimental maker of ‘fictions de gauche’, that Guédiguian’s project is actually extraordinarily deep and original. It lays ...
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The conclusion argues, against critics who have found Guédiguian to be a sentimental maker of ‘fictions de gauche’, that Guédiguian’s project is actually extraordinarily deep and original. It lays out the claim that no filmmaker has had a career in which his or her work has been so closely linked with a set number of deep friendships. The conclusion looks at the entirety of Guédiguian’s career as a project, examining how friendship has informed Guédiguian’s depiction of people, spaces, and time. The conclusion argues that if this monument to particular friendships has attracted a fairly large audience, it is because it serves as a model for how one might live in a different, more flourishing way, a way not acknowledged by most figures of human interaction in the contemporary neoliberal period.Less

Conclusion : Another cinema – a project in time

Joseph Mai

Published in print: 2017-05-07

The conclusion argues, against critics who have found Guédiguian to be a sentimental maker of ‘fictions de gauche’, that Guédiguian’s project is actually extraordinarily deep and original. It lays out the claim that no filmmaker has had a career in which his or her work has been so closely linked with a set number of deep friendships. The conclusion looks at the entirety of Guédiguian’s career as a project, examining how friendship has informed Guédiguian’s depiction of people, spaces, and time. The conclusion argues that if this monument to particular friendships has attracted a fairly large audience, it is because it serves as a model for how one might live in a different, more flourishing way, a way not acknowledged by most figures of human interaction in the contemporary neoliberal period.

It took thirty years to get the wigs off men, and then the business took a step backward when a stuntman replaced a stuntwoman doubling an actress in Planet of the Apes (2001). But the Screen Actors ...
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It took thirty years to get the wigs off men, and then the business took a step backward when a stuntman replaced a stuntwoman doubling an actress in Planet of the Apes (2001). But the Screen Actors Guild took action. Today, stuntwomen continue to make strides. The book ends with stuntwomen describing the joy of the work, including the importance of being recognized and acknowledged, how their work has made a difference in their lives and made them stronger, and how it has provided moments of bliss.Less

Controversy and Progress for Stuntwomen

Mollie Gregory

Published in print: 2015-10-19

It took thirty years to get the wigs off men, and then the business took a step backward when a stuntman replaced a stuntwoman doubling an actress in Planet of the Apes (2001). But the Screen Actors Guild took action. Today, stuntwomen continue to make strides. The book ends with stuntwomen describing the joy of the work, including the importance of being recognized and acknowledged, how their work has made a difference in their lives and made them stronger, and how it has provided moments of bliss.

This chapter gives a wide-ranging view of Ziegfeld as both a beloved boss and a traitorous one. The close-knit family of Ziegfeld stars, including Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Will Rogers, W. C. ...
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This chapter gives a wide-ranging view of Ziegfeld as both a beloved boss and a traitorous one. The close-knit family of Ziegfeld stars, including Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Will Rogers, W. C. Fields, and Bert Williams, is torn apart by the Actors Equity strike of 1919. Ziegfeld’s stars remain loyal to him until they learn that he has joined the Producing Managers Association. When his stars leave, despite his good treatment of them, Ziegfeld is personally affronted. The strike ends, but Ziegfeld’s life continues to be chaotic. Olive Thomas and another showgirl with whom he allegedly had an affair commit suicide. People begin to wonder if there is a Ziegfeld curse. Burke remains loyal to her husband, but she questions his loyalty as his attentions to Marilyn Miller grow more conspicuous. He makes preparations for a show written specifically for Miller that ultimately serves as a hymn to the youth and beauty that Ziegfeld feared was disappearing in the Jazz Age.Less

Dear Old Zieggy and Company

Cynthia BridesonSara Brideson

Published in print: 2015-05-27

This chapter gives a wide-ranging view of Ziegfeld as both a beloved boss and a traitorous one. The close-knit family of Ziegfeld stars, including Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Will Rogers, W. C. Fields, and Bert Williams, is torn apart by the Actors Equity strike of 1919. Ziegfeld’s stars remain loyal to him until they learn that he has joined the Producing Managers Association. When his stars leave, despite his good treatment of them, Ziegfeld is personally affronted. The strike ends, but Ziegfeld’s life continues to be chaotic. Olive Thomas and another showgirl with whom he allegedly had an affair commit suicide. People begin to wonder if there is a Ziegfeld curse. Burke remains loyal to her husband, but she questions his loyalty as his attentions to Marilyn Miller grow more conspicuous. He makes preparations for a show written specifically for Miller that ultimately serves as a hymn to the youth and beauty that Ziegfeld feared was disappearing in the Jazz Age.

This epilogue traces the collapse of the old theatrical economy after the onset of the Great Depression and assesses its impact on the men and women of the American stage. Highlighting the huge ...
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This epilogue traces the collapse of the old theatrical economy after the onset of the Great Depression and assesses its impact on the men and women of the American stage. Highlighting the huge decline in employment opportunities in a perennially overcrowded labor market in the wake of the Great Crash, it argues that the brand of occupational unionism that had underpinned the activities of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA) in the 1920s ceased to meet the needs of the theatrical rank and file. In the highly politicized environment of the 1930s, traditional patterns of deference within the acting community broke down, and a new generation of actors, largely unschooled in the genteel tradition in American culture, began to question the wisdom of building an occupational identity around the twin ideals of workplace discipline and respectability. In 1935 a group of militants set out to seize control of the AEA and to guide it in a more radical direction. Though their insurgency failed, it had profound implications for actors' unionism in the American theater industry. It prompted a reorientation of the AEA toward the bread-and-butter needs of its constituents and a frank acknowledgment on the part of its leaders that actors are workers as well as artists—and that the first role is indivisible from the second.Less

Epilogue

Sean P. Holmes

Published in print: 2013-04-01

This epilogue traces the collapse of the old theatrical economy after the onset of the Great Depression and assesses its impact on the men and women of the American stage. Highlighting the huge decline in employment opportunities in a perennially overcrowded labor market in the wake of the Great Crash, it argues that the brand of occupational unionism that had underpinned the activities of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA) in the 1920s ceased to meet the needs of the theatrical rank and file. In the highly politicized environment of the 1930s, traditional patterns of deference within the acting community broke down, and a new generation of actors, largely unschooled in the genteel tradition in American culture, began to question the wisdom of building an occupational identity around the twin ideals of workplace discipline and respectability. In 1935 a group of militants set out to seize control of the AEA and to guide it in a more radical direction. Though their insurgency failed, it had profound implications for actors' unionism in the American theater industry. It prompted a reorientation of the AEA toward the bread-and-butter needs of its constituents and a frank acknowledgment on the part of its leaders that actors are workers as well as artists—and that the first role is indivisible from the second.

This chapter examines the Actors' Equity Association's (AEA) campaign to raise the status of the acting community by cleansing it of its long-standing reputation for immorality. It focuses in the ...
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This chapter examines the Actors' Equity Association's (AEA) campaign to raise the status of the acting community by cleansing it of its long-standing reputation for immorality. It focuses in the first instance on the efforts of Equity leaders to improve the collective image of actors by persuading the Methodist Church to lift its ban on commercial amusements and taking newspapers to task for reinforcing the association that existed in the public mind between acting and criminality. Its primary concern, however, was with the internal dimension of the campaign. It takes as its starting point the AEA's crusade against the excessive consumption of alcohol, a practice that straddled not only the divide between the legal and the extralegal but also the ill-defined line between the public sphere and the private sphere. It argues that accusations of drunkenness often functioned as a pretext for disciplining those performers whose sexual habits were at odds with the so-called civilized morality embraced by the leadership of the AEA—that is, “promiscuous” women and homosexual men. Even as the theater as a cultural institution was helping to redraw the boundaries of propriety in American society, the AEA was seeking to bind the men and women of the legitimate stage to a moral code that was rooted in increasingly outmoded notions of respectability.Less

For the Dignity and Honor of the Theatrical Profession : Respectability and Unrespectability in the Actors’ Equity Association, 1919–1929

Sean P. Holmes

Published in print: 2013-04-01

This chapter examines the Actors' Equity Association's (AEA) campaign to raise the status of the acting community by cleansing it of its long-standing reputation for immorality. It focuses in the first instance on the efforts of Equity leaders to improve the collective image of actors by persuading the Methodist Church to lift its ban on commercial amusements and taking newspapers to task for reinforcing the association that existed in the public mind between acting and criminality. Its primary concern, however, was with the internal dimension of the campaign. It takes as its starting point the AEA's crusade against the excessive consumption of alcohol, a practice that straddled not only the divide between the legal and the extralegal but also the ill-defined line between the public sphere and the private sphere. It argues that accusations of drunkenness often functioned as a pretext for disciplining those performers whose sexual habits were at odds with the so-called civilized morality embraced by the leadership of the AEA—that is, “promiscuous” women and homosexual men. Even as the theater as a cultural institution was helping to redraw the boundaries of propriety in American society, the AEA was seeking to bind the men and women of the legitimate stage to a moral code that was rooted in increasingly outmoded notions of respectability.

This chapter considers the impact of the Spanish television programme Cine de barrio on popular discourses surrounding national film and performance styles. First airing in 1995, Cine de barrio pairs ...
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This chapter considers the impact of the Spanish television programme Cine de barrio on popular discourses surrounding national film and performance styles. First airing in 1995, Cine de barrio pairs the viewing of a classic national film (generally made sometime between 1950 and the late 70s, after the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco) with a talk show segment between a host and an invited guest. By linking discourses on cultural and historical memory with the subsequent revival of classic national cinema brought about by Cine de barrio, the chapter explores the relationship between actors, their films and their audiences; the affective response produced in this encounter, it argues, generates a nostalgia for classic national cinema that also influences contemporary Spanish film. The chapter also addresses the links between the seemingly disparate Spanish films of the 70s and the comedic box office blowouts of the 2010s, as well as arguing for a sustained reflection on nostalgia, memory, and their connections to acting and performance.Less

The future of nostalgia: revindicating Spanish actors and acting in and through Cine de barrio

Duncan Wheeler

Published in print: 2016-12-12

This chapter considers the impact of the Spanish television programme Cine de barrio on popular discourses surrounding national film and performance styles. First airing in 1995, Cine de barrio pairs the viewing of a classic national film (generally made sometime between 1950 and the late 70s, after the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco) with a talk show segment between a host and an invited guest. By linking discourses on cultural and historical memory with the subsequent revival of classic national cinema brought about by Cine de barrio, the chapter explores the relationship between actors, their films and their audiences; the affective response produced in this encounter, it argues, generates a nostalgia for classic national cinema that also influences contemporary Spanish film. The chapter also addresses the links between the seemingly disparate Spanish films of the 70s and the comedic box office blowouts of the 2010s, as well as arguing for a sustained reflection on nostalgia, memory, and their connections to acting and performance.